Glass-furnace.



PATENTED JAN. 15, 1907.

NB 1l H. M. BROOKPIBLD. GLASS PURNAGE APPLICATIONy FILED MAR. 3, 1902.

l rinrr stirare remmer orion Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented aan. 15,1907.

Application filed March 3, 1902. Serialll'c. 96.364.

T @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY M. Brecon- FIELD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of .the city, county, and State of New York, .have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Glass-Furnaces,` of which the following is a specification;

My invention relates to glass-furnaces.

It has for its object to improve the means for discharging molten glass from a furnace; also, to discharge the molten glass directly through the side of the furnace and to do this without chilling the glass or impairing its fluidity; also, to provide means for delicately and accurately controlling the flow of molten glass therefrom; also, to provide means for protecting the valve from excessive heating; also, to provide means for temporarily stopping the flow of molten glass from a furnace should the valve be injured or should it be necessary for any reason to remove it.

It consists of the novel devices and combinations herein shown and described.

In the drawings accompanying this s ecification and forming a part hereof I ave shown a glass-furnace with my improvement in its preferred form connected therewith.

Referring to the form or embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal section through a part of a glass-furnace embodying my improvement in its preferred form. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on the lines A A of Fig. 1 viewed as shown by the arrow. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal cross-section on the line B B of Flg. l and "-Fig. 4 illustrates a modification of my improvement.

Heretoforedn the practical art of handling molten glass', it has been the practice to take the molten glass out of the furnace by hand. Attempts have been made to cause the molten glass toow through openings in the' side of the furnace; but, as far as I am aware, such efforts have failed. The chief difficulty lies inthe fact that in such cases the glass is caused to flow through or over sur` such material as the glass must pass over in its flow is heated or kept hot by any suitable means it is possible and feasible to automatically cause the glass to flow from the furnace without losing its fluidity.

ferred form which I employ for carrying out my improvement. In. Fig. 4 I' have shown as a modification devicesfor such discharge presenting a minimum surface for the glass to pass overl in its flow.

I will now proceed to describe the lpre-` ferred form. (Shown in Figs. l 2, and 3.) l represents a glass-furnace, and 2 the molten vglass therein.. This furnace is provided at one side with a heating-chamber 3, a channel 4 connecting the interior of the furnace with the chamber and providing a means for the flow of the molten glass from the former to the latter. The channel i is preferably located at some distance below the normal level of the molten glass in the furnace in order that the molten glass drawn od may be drawn'from a point lat some distance below the surface 'to avoid taking the `impurities which generally float upon. the top of the molten glass. ft is also preferably located at a suiiicient distance above the bottom of the furnace to insure that the molten 'glass shall be sufficiently liquid'to flow properly. In practice i prefer to arrange it about as shownin the drawings. y5 is a valve-gate for closing and opening channel 4 and forregulating the flow of the molten glass through the same. Any suitable means lmay be employed for moving this gate. shown it is made vertically reciprocating and is controlled through a screw-threaded rod 6, provided with a hand-wheel 7 and passing through a support 8, interiorly screw-threaded and connected at its upper end through rounded head 9 to a link l0, pivoted at its upper end to a lever 1l, to which is pvoted at its other end valve-gate 5, as shown in Fig. l. rihe rounded head 9 of rod 6 is seated in a similar-shaped cavity in the lower part of link 10 and is free to turn therein. By turn- In Figs. l, 2, and 3 I have shown; the pre- I In the form IDO other valve-gate 5 can be delicately and accurately adjusted to control. the flow of.

molten glass from the furnace or to shut it off altogether'. 12 is a discharge-orifice leading `from chamber 3 for,discharging the molten glass. In its flow through channel a to and l through orifice 12 the molten glass necessal rily passes over a considerable extent of IOS ity of the glass.

brick, and if no means for heating er keeping thislen th of brick heated were employed the mo ten glass would congeal and clog channel 4 and utterly prevent the discharge of molten glass from the furnace. rIo avoid` this, I use means for keeping such surfaces heated over which the glass must pass in its flow and sufficiently so to maintain the fluid- Any suitable means may be employed for this urpose. vI prefer to use for this purposea eating-chamber 3, which will sufficiently cover and protect the parts over whichthe glass must flow, sufficiently heating them to prevent their congealing the molten glass. rllhis chamber may assume any suitable form. In the drawings it is shown as an inclosed box or rectangular apartment, although it is not absolutely necessary that it be inclosed on all sides as long as it affords suflicient means for protecting the surfaces in question from becoming chilled or for keeping them sufficiently heated. I prefer to employ means 'for heating this chamber. Any suitable meansxmay be employed for that purpose. As' shown, I heat it directly from the interior of furnace 1 by means of openings 18, (shown Ain Figs. 2 and 3,) which pass through the wall of the furnace from the interior into chamber 3. It is not necessaryhowever, to heat this chainber from the furnace, as it may, for example, be heated independently, as by oil-iets placed therein or by any 'other suitable heating means. As chamber 3 is kept very hot and as the heat rapidly aects and destroys a valve-gate, such as 5, I preferably place a guard 13 in front of the valve-gate, so that no part of the valve-gate is exposed except the extreme lower edge, This guard 13 may be made Aof any suitable material. As shown, it has sides 19, which overla and cover the edges of gate 5,as shown in ig. 3.

As it is necessary at times tovremove valvegate 5 for purposes off repair or for re lacing it with another valga-gate, I preferably provide means fortemporarily stopping the flow of glass from the furnace while the valve-gate is out of operative position. For this purpose I provide a stopper 14, which in the erm shown consists of a rod screw-threaded at 15 and passing through a support 16, located in the wallsof chamber 3 and interiorly screw-threaded and also provided. with a hand-Wheel 17. The inner end of stopper 14 is made of such shape as to enter and lfit exactly the outerend of channel 4, and when 17 v is turned in one direction this stopper 14 will fill channel y4 at its outer end and effectually prevent any further flow of molten glass.

. Stopper 14 may itself be used as a valve, if

desired.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modification of my improvement, in which chamber 8 is dispensed with. In this case I reduce to a minimum the surface over which the glass must flow before being discharged. To accomplish this, the lower wall of the furnace, which formsthe bottom of channel 4, is continued outward in. a projection 22 just'far enough to furnish a seat' for gate 5 and a prol jecting lip 23, from which the molten glass drops in its flow. With thisconstruction chamber 3 and guardI 13 are dispensed with. Stopper 14 could be u ed, if desired, mounting it upon any suitaliqle support. In Fig. 4 for convenience sakeV I` have simply shown valve-gate 5 as provided with a handle '20 at the top, by means ofi-which it can be manually raised or lowered and as passing behind a part 21 of the furnace-wall. Of course any means may be employed for moving the gate-such, for example, as that shown in Fig. 1. In such a device as that shown in 4 I prefer, however, to use positive means for heating the surfaces over which the glass flows in its discharge, and I have illustrated inthis ligure an oil-jet 24, suitably supported on the furnace and adapted to play its flame upon the under side 22 of projection 23. rlhe channel 4 may of course be located in any wall of the furnace desired, whether a side Wall or an end Wall.

By means of my improvement molten glass can be fed from a furnace in a simple and effective manner and will flow directly 9 through the side ofthe furnace without clogging, the surfaces over which the molten glass passes in its flow will not chill and congeal the glass, the quality of the molten glass fed out is good, impurities which float at the top of the molten glass being unable to mingle with the`molten glass that is discharged. Atdurable valve is, moreover, provided to stop or control the flow of the molten glass, and efficient means are provided for readily removing and replacing the valve-gate and for stopping the flow of molten glass during such removal. My improved device furthert enables the flow of molten glass to be accurately gaged.

Many departures from or modifications in the particular form of my improvement shown in the drawings may of course be made without departing from my invention, the essentials of which are set forth in the claims appended hereto.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is"

1. A furnace for molten lglass provided with a heating-chamber at one side of the furnace, a channel through the Wall of the furnace connecting the interior of the furnaceA with the chamber for the flow of molten glass from the former to the latter, a valve adapted to regulate the flow of the glass through such channel, and a stopper adapted to enter the outer end of the said channel to close the same when the valve-gate is open or removed.

2. A. furnace for molten glass provided IIO With a heating-chamber at one side of the furnacej a channel through the Wallof the furnace connecting the interior of the furnace Withthe chamber for the flow of molten glass from the former to the latter, a valvev adapted to regulate' the flow of the glass' throughsuch channel, a stopper adapted to enter the outer end of the said channel to close the same When the valve-gate is open or removed, and screw-threaded means Aconnected With 'said sto per for moving the same to cause it to c ose or open the said channel. y l

` 3. A furnace for molten glass provided with anopening-for the discharge of molten glasstherefrom, means for regulating the size of such opening so as to regulate the flow of the 'molten glass in accordance with the fluidity of the glass orl temperatureof the 'opening so as to permit the flow of glass in such arelatively small stream as to be ada t-' ed to make glass insulators or other si ar small glassarticles, 'and means for heating the opening and the surface Yover which the glass must pass in its flow from the furnace to the point of discharge suflciently to prevent the glass from congealing vand clogglng.

4. A furnace for molten glass provided lWith a heating-chamber at one side ofthe furnace, a channel through the `W`all ofthe 'furnace connecting the interior of the fur-` nace with the chamber for the iioW of molten I lass'from the-former to the latter, a valve or regulating the size of such channel so as to regulate the flow'of the molten glass in accordance with the fluidity of the glass or the ssy temperature of the channel so as to permit the flow of molten glass in such a relatively small stream as to be adapted to make glass insulators or other similar small glass articles,

a discharge-orifice leadingfrom said chamber for the dischar e of molten lass therefrom, and means for' eating said c amber to keep heated the said channel and the surface over which the glass must pass in its iioW to prevent the glass from'congealing and clogging.

In testimony whereof I' `have signed my name to this specication'in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

AHENRY M. BROOKFIELD. -Wtne'sses:

JOHN O. GEMPLER, EDWIN SEGER. 

